We agree; as I said, it is all about money. In a restaurant, food and service is the medium, money is the goal.l It has to be.
Perhaps, but the staff does not know that. They do know that 98% will sit and sip a 50¢ cup of coffee while others will wait and wait while you take up valuable space.
News Flash. They must have the custoemrs. They cannot afford to expand because 6 people a year have to wait too long. They cannot afford to expand to cover a peak time of three hours a week if the seats are empty the rest of the time. It is a business decision that must be considered before making the investment. No return, no investment. Every business does that before buying new equipment or renting new space.
As I stated, it is not something that should be invoked 100% of the time. Judgement has to enter the picture. Crowded? Sorry, you have to wait. Plenty of tables? Sure, relax while you wait for your other guests.
No, it is just plain right in most cases. You may be an exception ; good for you. Most are not. The host-hostess does not know this by just looking at the customer, but they do know what the majority will do and act accordingly.
That is just as serious a problem. The manager should take steps to eliminate or minimize that happening. Again, they can only have so much cooking space and at peak times, there will be delays. Every business has problems of either under or over capacity at times. Manufacturing, airlines, turkey growers, hospitals, try to accommodate everyone, but at times, just have to stop. It is also more profitable to turn away a couple of customers than to over build and go broke for a few times a year. Contrary to the old "customer is always right", it is sometimes best to eliminate an unprofitable, unruly, unwhatever customer and take care of the rest with better service. -- Ed
